Baby Goat Season

You may know about the fitness craze known as “baby goat yoga,” where yogis practice their downward dogs while goat kids enjoy scampering up their backs like tiny four-legged mountain climbers. It does all sound like a very good idea, and I can’t figure out why I haven’t managed to make it to a class yet. Baby goat sketching, however, is a different matter: the artist must stay safely on the other side of the fence, because baby goats have a tendency to eat sketchbook pages. The goats stay in constant motion, offering a challenge to the artist.

Frolicking about

The bushes got a good trimming

My main goal was to study the gestures and movement of the goats. What is it that makes a goat look goat-y? There is so much variety among goat breeds in terms of the color of the coat, the animal’s size, and the shape of the ears and face. Yet, we can instantly tell that a goat is a goat.

One of my pages of gesture drawings. The goats were one to three weeks old.

Baby goats always elicit smiles

Of course I had to paint a few studies as well. This sketch was done with my travel watercolor palette and a water brush in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

Chickens don't stay still either

My excuse for all this was “research” for my upcoming book with Charlesbridge, A Kid of Their Own. The book includes a whole barnyard full of charming animal characters. What better way to get inspired than to visit a barnyard myself?

bok bok bok bok bok

They mostly left me alone once they realized I wasn't going to feed them

Many thanks to my friends at the farm who let me come by. Next stop, baby goat yoga!